Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev said he will accept the recommendations of the team charged with examining the placement of soldiers in the Prison Service. "The committee's report has a lot of significance and I fully accept it. It is especially important that the service of IDF soldiers in the Prisons Service is compatible with the Security Service Law, and that we don't discriminate on the background of soldiers' gender. The message that the committee relayed is no less important, and that is that the Prisons Service is ready and committed to the best handling of its compulsory service men and women; and that the compulsory service men and women feel satisfied with their position and their conditions in the Prisons Service, know that they are doing a national security mission, and feel like they belong in the organization.
"I also accept the recommendation to gradually recruit professional jailors to handle security prisoners, instead of the compulsory jailers, and that will require us to set aside additional resources for the Prisons Service, and I hope that the Finance Ministry will help with the matter," said Bar-Lev.
Defense Minister Gantz stated: "I thank the members of the team for their professional and comprehensive work. Keeping good conditions for all compulsory service men and women is our basic obligation as a state and at the base of our ability to keep the value of service and national security."
The team charged with examining the placement of soldiers in the Prison Service submitted its recommendations to Defense Minister Gantz and Public Security Minister Bar-Lev earlier on Thursday.
The team recommended removing IDF soldiers from security prisons and gradually replacing them with professional jailors.
The team had the impression that the Prisons Service significantly improved its handling of its compulsory service men and women, specifically regarding sexual harassment.
The team recommended that the task of jailing security prisoners be imposed on a team of professional jailors, as is done when handling criminal prisoners.
The team also suggested keeping soldiers for tasks of securing and accompanying, in accordance with the law and transferring soldiers who serve in security wings of regular prisons (where only a few soldiers are stationed) to serve in the large security prisons.
Leading the team, which was appointed by Defense Ministry CEO Amir Eshel, with instruction from Defense Minister Gantz, and in coordination with Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev, is Deputy CEO, Itamar Graf. The team consists of professionals, senior figures from the IDF, Defense Ministry, and Prisons Service, and a representative of the public.